The present invention relates to a device for dispensing a fluid, gaseous, liquid or pasty product, of the type comprising a reservoir containing several doses of product, to the neck of which is mounted fixedly a pump equipped with a hollow control stem sliding in a pump body in a direction called longitudinal, and a casing in which said reservoir is housed, said casing being equipped with a nozzle for dispensing the product, connected by a connecting means to said hollow control stem, and with a means for actuating the pump in order to expel a dose of product via the dispensing nozzle on each action exerted by a user on said actuating means.
In spraying product devices, for example atomizers, a precompression stroke or a precompression effect is generally provided, on actuating the pump, in order to liberate the product with enough ejection force to provide a spray of the product at the spray nozzle. The purpose of this precompression stroke of the pump is to force the user to exert, with his finger or his hand, a large force on the actuating button during this precompression stroke. Thus the finger or the hand of the user is carried by its impetus until the button is depressed to the bottom, since, beyond the precompression stroke, the product can be ejected by the pump and therefore the button is less resistive to its depression. It is possible to expel the whole dose of product at high speed, when the force exerted by the user exceeds the precompression value, which may be, for example, about 25 N.
When it is desired, for size, ergonomic or other reasons, that the actuating member is moved in a direction other than that of the stroke of the control stem of the pump, it is possible to provide between them an inclined double-ramp system, a first ramp interacting with the actuating means, a second ramp being connected to the control stem of the pump, so that the gliding of the two ramps one against the other causes the control stem to slide in the pump body. However, in such a system, the friction between the two ramps is great enough so that after the precompression stroke, the user""s finger is not driven enough by its impetus to press to the bottom on the actuating means, but is impeded by the resistive force of friction between the ramps. There is therefore no tilting effect after the precompression stroke, which leads to expelling the complete dose of product at a speed which is high enough to ensure that it is sprayed. In order to reduce this friction, it is possible to provide ramps with a shallow slope, but in this case the actuating stroke is too large. If ramps with a shallower slope are chosen, the actuating stroke is smaller, but in this case friction is very great.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,582 describes a pump system, in a variant of which the pump is actuated by a trigger assembly comprising a pivotally-mounted trigger and a Y-shaped element. This system has a complex outer shape with projecting moveable parts which are accessible from the outside, which increases the risk of inadvertent dismantling and is detrimental to its ergonomics. Furthermore, it does not relate to dispensing devices comprising a casing in which a reservoir equipped with a pump is housed.
The aim of the invention is to remove the aforementioned drawbacks and to provide a device for dispensing product comprising a reservoir equipped with a pump and a casing in which said reservoir is housed, which makes it possible to eject the product at a high enough speed, and in which the position of the dispensing nozzle is independent of the position of the means for actuating the pump.
To this end, the subject of the invention is a device for dispensing a fluid, gaseous, liquid or pasty product, comprising a reservoir containing several doses of product, a pump comprising two pump elements, that is a hollow stem and a pump body fitted onto said reservoir, said two elements being capable of sliding one with respect to the other in a direction called longitudinal in order to pump said product, and an outer casing equipped with a nozzle for dispensing the product, which nozzle is connected by a connecting means to said hollow stem, and with a pump actuating means to expel a dose of product via the dispensing nozzle on each action exerted by the user on said actuating means, said actuating means comprising a bearing member which is accessible from the outside of the casing and a member for transmitting force, said member for transmitting force having two longitudinal end parts, one, called moveable, of which is capable of bearing on one of said two pump elements in order to make it slide longitudinally and the other, called stationary, of which is locked in translation with respect to said outer casing in the aforementioned longitudinal direction, it being possible for said bearing member to move essentially transversely in order to bear on said member for transmitting force between said two longitudinal end parts, so as to be able to deform said member for transmitting force between a rest position, in which at least one intermediate portion of said transmission member has a nonzero curvature, and an active position, in which the curvature of said intermediate portion is small, in order to increase the longitudinal extension of said member for transmitting force by causing a sliding of said hollow stem toward the inside of said pump body, characterized in that said reservoir is housed at least partially in said casing, said member for transmitting force being arranged such that the transformation, by said member for transmitting force, from the pushing force exerted by the user on said bearing member into a longitudinal sliding force exerted on said first pump element increases throughout the push, which makes it possible to ensure that said longitudinal sliding force ejects the dose of product at a velocity which is high enough to provide a spray via said nozzle.
In addition, in the aforementioned previous system, the forces to which the Y-shaped element is subjected are large because of the acute angle between its two members at the start of the stroke, such that the stabilization of the Y-shaped element and the fatigue at the junction of the members are problematical.
According to a particular characteristic of the invention, said member for transmitting force comprises two toggle joint lever arms hinged directly or indirectly one with respect to the other at said intermediate portion, the free ends of the two arms opposed to said hinge forming respectively said longitudinal end parts of said member for transmitting force, said two arms forming together an obtuse angle in said rest position and remaining unaligned in said active position, without going through an aligned position of the two arms.
Advantageously, the two toggle joint lever arms are hinged via a central piece guided transversely in translation in said casing.
Advantageously, the bearing member is integral with the hinge between the two aforementioned arms.
Advantageously, the bearing member is able to bear on said member for transmitting force on either side of said toggle joint hinge, on reinforcing ribs carried by the two toggle joint lever arms.
Preferably, the free end of the toggle joint lever arm which forms said stationary end of the member for transmitting force is hinged about a fixed point of the casing.
As a variant, the free toggle joint lever arm end which forms said stationary end of the member for transmitting force is able to be displaced in translation in a substantially transverse direction of the casing, the corresponding toggle joint lever arm being able to act as bearing member.
Advantageously, said member for transmitting force comprises two additional arms hinged respectively to each of said toggle joint lever arms at the free ends thereof, said additional arms being hinged together at their respective ends opposite said toggle joint lever arms in order to form a hinged quadrilateral.
Preferably, the hinge of said additional arms of the quadrilateral is kept transversely in gliding contact with a substantially longitudinal guiding rib of said device in order to be able to slide against said guiding rib during the actuation of said pump.
Advantageously, that one of said additional arms which is hinged to said stationary end of the member for transmitting force is stopped against an oblique stop rib of said device in said rest position.
Preferably, said guiding rib and said stop rib are formed contiguously on an inner face of said casing.
According to another characteristic of the invention, said member for transmitting force comprises an elastically deformable cylindrical sleeve arranged with its axis in a direction which is substantially transverse and substantially perpendicular to the direction of the bearing force of said bearing member, said sleeve exhibiting in said rest position a substantially elliptical section, the major axis of which coincides with the direction of said bearing force and the minor axis of which coincides with said longitudinal direction, the ends of said minor axis forming respectively said longitudinal end parts of said member for transmitting force, said sleeve being deformed during the thrust exerted by the user on said bearing member such that its major axis is shortened whilst its minor axis is elongated.
Preferably, the parts of said sleeve at the ends of said major axis are respectively in gliding contact with a longitudinal wall of said bearing member and with a substantially longitudinal guiding rib of said casing.
Advantageously, said stationary end part of the member for transmitting force is offset with respect to the axis of said hollow stem.
Advantageously, said first pump element is said hollow stem, said movable end part of the member for transmitting force is hinged on an end piece mounted fixedly to the free end of the hollow stem in order to bear on said hollow stem, said end piece carrying the aforementioned connecting means.
Preferably, the aforementioned connecting means is a flexible tube or a deformable bellows or one or more pieces which can be moved with respect to the casing.
According to yet another characteristic of the invention, said first pump element is said pump body and said movable end part of the member for transmitting force bears on a substantially transverse wall carried by said pump body, said pump body and said reservoir being moveable in said direction which is longitudinal with respect to said casing.
Preferably, said hollow stem lies on the other side of said transverse wall with respect to said member for transmitting force, the free end of said hollow stem being mounted fixedly in a wall of the casing carrying said nozzle, said connecting means being a duct formed through said casing wall.
Advantageously, the dispensing nozzle is carried fixedly by the casing.
Preferably, the aforementioned bearing member comprises a flexible membrane mounted fixedly in the wall of the casing.
Advantageously, said casing forms an outer packaging completely containing said reservoir. The whole device can then be designed with a simple shape and quite small size, for example a flat parallelepipedal shape, in order to be easily put away in the pocket of an item of clothing. Said reservoir may advantageously be formed from a pocket made of a flexible plastic film.
Preferably, said member for transmitting force is contained in said outer casing. The toggle joint hinge or hinges may be formed by film hinges.
The invention will be better understood, and other aims, details, characteristics and advantages thereof will appear more clearly, during the detailed explanatory description which follows of several embodiments of the invention, given solely by way of nonlimiting illustration, with reference to the appended schematic drawings.